Review: Arby's Chicken Cheddar Ranch Sandwich

Arby's Chicken Cheddar Ranch Sandwich features two crispy-fried chicken tenders, a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and Parmesan Peppercorn Ranch Sauce on a toasted sesame bun.

It is part of the chain's current "two for $6" deal and is normally a little more than $4 in my area. It replaced the Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich in the deal.

The sandwich turned out to be very sauce-heavy and drippy as a result. Fortunately, the ranch was fairly mild with very little in the way of parmesan and pepper notes, so it didn't overwhelm the flavors of everything else.

The cheddar cheese was fairly mild for sharp cheddar and lacked that bitter, pungent quality. It's actual cheese rather than the processed stuff, so it didn't melt very much but still managed to lightly adhere to the chicken.

If the cheddar served a little as a glue for the chicken, the ranch definitely took on the role of a lubricant. Because of the heavy saucing, the two tenders went this way and that as I ate it, leaving me with a few sad mouthfuls of just bread and condiments.

The chicken tenders offer a different breading than their buttermilk chicken filet. The breading is thicker, with a heartier crunch and a more neutral flavor. Due to the shape, the chicken inside delivers a meatier bite and a decent amount of moisture.

The bun is little bit softer than the star-cut bun but doesn't cradle as well.

Taken altogether, the trouble with Arby's Chicken Cheddar Ranch sandwich is one of construction rather than flavor. The combination of excessive saucing and separate pieces of oblong, slightly rounded chicken made for very uneven and messy eating. The best bet in consuming one of these might be to squish the bun down in hopes that it'll keep the tenders in place.

Nutritional Info - Arby's Chicken Cheddar Ranch Sandwich (244g)
Calories - 610 (from Fat - 270)
Fat - 30g (Saturated Fat - 8g)
Sodium - 1400mg
Carbs - 58g (Sugar - 7g)
Protein - 43g